Innovative Young Minds (IYM) is a week-long residential programme, based in Silverstream, in the Hutt Valley. It is designed to inspire young women into the science, technology, innovation and engineering sector — where young women are underrepresented. Started by Rotary Hutt City in 2017, with the Hutt City Council as Principal Sponsors, IYM has taken off.

Through hands on activities, students experience innovation they never thought possible. They hear stories of inspiration from women who have built careers and businesses in the science and technology sector—women who are passionate about science and technology—and nothing speaks louder than passion. Students visit businesses, Crown Research Institutes, Tertiary Institutes and Technical Institutes. They devise and prepare an innovative challenge to be shared with an audience of over 100 at their graduation.

Through the generous support of Rotary Clubs across the region, students are sponsored $550 to attend IYM and only have pay $120 each. In some cases, we have full scholarships available. We want this opportunity to be accessible to students from all walks of like.

Following the success of the 2017 and 2018 programme and the demand for places, 2019 has seen us expand the programme nationwide. We have partnered with Hutt City Council through the establishment of the Innovative Young Minds Charitable Trust to deliver IYM.

This year, we will run two week-long programmes in the July school holidays. We are also excited to be taking a group of 12 IYM alumnae to Silicon Valley in April. Here they will experience science and technology on an international stage. The draft Silicon Valley programme can be found here.

IYM is a great example of a public-private partnership working to achieve a common goal. If you would like to know more about the programme, please visit www.iym.org.nz. If you have any questions, or would like to support IYM through sponsorship, please contact us on info@iym.org.nz

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